No matter how hard I think, I can't
come up with words to describe everything. That is perhaps why
I put this off yesterday. Sumner may read this one day, and
from this, he'll gauge the situation pretty clearly.

He's a beautiful boy. To me and the
wife, he's the most beautiful baby in the world, of course.
But there is a genuine beauty about him that cannot be dimmed.
From the very beginning, he has been nothing but full of energy and
his love for Mom and Dad is apparent.

Born on April 8th, 2004 at 4:46pm, Sumner
James weighed in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 19.5 inches long.
After a a couple of good pushes from my wife, the doctor and I
were able to cut the cord that had placed itself firmly around his
neck. Soon after the cord was cut, my wife reached down and
grabbed little Sumner, placed him gently on her tummy, and kissed
his forehead before he was off to be cleaned by the attending
nurses.

I was pretty concerned for the little guy,
and followed the nurses into the next room. All I could do was
stare in amazement at him. I knew he could hear me, and I
wanted to take him in my arms and hold him.

Even as I write this, I find it hard to
fully describe the day, not because my memory fails me, but because
I've never had to describe pure joy.

And now, home with my wife and child, I can
finally relax. I can put aside all of the fears and worries
that beset my mind for the past nine months. Instead of the
constant kick beneath my wife's tummy, there is now a breathing boy
on my bed. Instead of silence, there is laughter and crying.
Instead of waiting, there is patience. In place of tossing and
turning, there are midnight feedings.

And instead of two, there are now three.
For little Sumner, Outside, his world is new...

04/09/04

For the first time I
saw the work of heaven,
The shape of our future,
The shape of all our history...

I know it's true
It's written in a sky as blue
As blue as your eyes,
As blue as your eyes...